A former Tucson police detective who was fired in the wake of a massage parlor scandal has been sanctioned by the state agency that oversees law enforcement certification, officials said.
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training board accepted an agreement with Martin Walker for a one-year suspension of his peace officer certification, said board spokeswoman Sandy Sierra.
The suspension is set to end July 21, after which heβll be able to seek employment with other law enforcement agencies in Arizona, she said.
Walker was fired last July after it was discovered that he received a massage from a business that was part of a years-long prostitution and money laundering investigation, documents show.
He told investigators he didnβt engage in any sexual activity during his massage but was suspicious about the business being a front for prostitution and didnβt report it to his superiors because he was embarrassed.
During his interview, he was asked why he didnβt report his suspicions.
βIβm sure their response wouldβve been, βwell how do you know,β and thatβs not really a conversation I was wanting to have,β he said.
He also told interviewers that he βwas looking at a cheap massage and (he) got it.β
βWalker was given a polygraph exam which resulted in Deception Indicated when asked if he ever engaged in sexual contact or conducted any fee agreement while employed by TPD,β documents state.
Seven other Tucson police employees named in the investigation were fired or resigned. Many of their cases have already come before the standards board.
Walker appealed his termination from the police force, but it was upheld by the cityβs Civil Service Commission. The Pima County Attorneyβs Office declined to file criminal charges against him last summer.
Trouble over meal
The board voted to initiate proceedings against a current Tucson police officer, Jose A. Olivares, over an October 2015 incident in which he allegedly didnβt pay for his meal at a restaurant.
Olivares was fired from TPD on Feb. 24 but appealed his termination and was reinstated by the Civil Service Commission, after serving an 80-hour suspension, board documents show.
On Oct. 20, Olivares ordered a burrito and drink from a Viva Burrito, took his food and left the restaurant, without paying for his meal, documents show.
The next day, one of the employees told a Tucson police lieutenant about the incident, when the officer came in to order food. The officer forwarded the information to the departmentβs office of professional standards, and an investigation was opened.
Olivares told detectives he forgot to pay and it wasnβt intentional, but security footage shows he reached toward his pocket at least four times, but never produced any form of payment, according to the board documents.
Ex-tribal officerβs discipline case
A former Tohono Oβodham police officer will also be facing discipline by the board, which voted to initiate proceedings against him for having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old girl, board documents show.
In July 2015, Princeton Calabaza began communicating with the girl, who is the younger sister of his former high school classmate, the documents show.
The girlβs mother was aware the two were talking but assumed it was innocent.
She told investigators she became concerned βthat something more was going onβ when she found her daughter missing from their home early one morning in August, the documents show.
The girlβs mother filed a complaint with the Police Department, saying she believed the relationship between the two had become inappropriate.
Police were able to pull text messages off of the girlβs cellphone that were indicative of a relationship and the girl admitted they had βmessed aroundβ once, documents show.
Calabaza initially denied to investigators any wrongdoing, before admitting he and the girl had hugged and kissed on at least two occasions.
When asked why he lied during earlier interviews, Calabaza said, βIt looks bad. I mean that (expletive) is embarrassing.β
He was fired by the department in February.
Sierra Vista DUI
The board also voted to initiate proceedings against former Sierra Vista police Officer Joseph H. Arnason, 26, who was involved in a DUI collision while on duty, AZPOST documents show.
On Dec. 19, 2014, Arnason rear-ended a truck, which in-turn hit the vehicle in front of it. No one was injured, but Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers were called to investigate the crash, as Arnason was on-duty and driving a marked patrol car, documents show.
While another officer was driving Arnason back the police station, he noticed βan odor of an intoxicating beverageβ coming from Arnason, and asked another officer to conduct a DUI investigation.
A Breathalyzer test revealed that Arnasonβs blood alcohol content was 0.09 and a blood test was ordered. Arnason was terminated from the department, effective immediately.
Arnason told officers that he had between five and six drinks but stopped drinking at midnight. The crash took place shortly before 7 a.m.
He was charged with DUI and pleaded guilty in March.
Olivares, Calabaza and Arnason will receive formal letters from the board and will have the option of a hearing with an administrative law judge, Sierra said.
